My team didn't do bad considering we started preparing just 4 weeks before the competition. I for example had never even said the words "mock trial" until around 4 weeks ago and I was one of the three lawyers for the team. On a substantive level we were as good if not better than half of the teams, however we couldn't hyper-memorize everything and thus were marked down, and also had trouble with some objection battles. Didn't have the time to memorize every possible argument to every possible objection.
I completely agree with QQ. Mock Trial is absolutely not about memorization and recitation. In fact, it's about knowing the issues well enough that you
don't look like you're reciting your affidavit/prepared DX. Like QQ said, if you know the rules well enough, you know when to apply them, how to argue them, and how to whether or not you win the objection look good doing so, which is more important if you ask any judge.
Focus on knowing the rules in and out, not necessarily memorizing them, just what they mean, what each infers, what is required for certain rules i.e. expert testimony, foundation for hearsay exceptions, etc... No attorney is ever going to know every objection possible, and therefore every answer, so the prudent and well-prepared attorney simply is very familiar with the rules themselves.
Anyway, great to see that you guys did so well with little preparation. I hope you felt that your hard work was rewarded, even though you may not have qualified for Nationals.
